As Wright left Oberyn's residence, he decided to take the letter written by Septa Lemore with him after some contemplation.
Wright didn't open the envelope, so the contents of the letter remained unknown. Tyene, no longer a young girl but now 24 years old and a mother of two, did not cry or mourn after reading the letter. Instead, she tucked it into her magical book, which she always carried with her, and then went to the school's alchemy room.
According to Sansa Stark, after Tyene finished her experiment that day, the vampire, now with only one leg, repeatedly tried to bash its head against the table in an attempt to commit suicide. Fortunately, Sansa noticed in time and saved it by feeding it chicken blood. She also placed a pillow under the wooden board it was lying on.
Meanwhile, Wright had been doing only one thing these past few days—sitting in the office of the Tyrosh Bank headquarters, watching Kana complete the exchange work of the silver stag. News of the vampire incidents in Tyrosh had spread through rumors, but Wright had yet to make an official announcement. Once Wright disclosed his methods of dealing with them, the price of silver was sure to rise.
Speculating on the currency premium for profit didn't have a good reputation, and Wright found it to be a thankless task. He planned to melt the silver coins he received into daggers, which, even if sold at high prices to the nobility, would at least serve as weapons to protect their lives, and the nobles would have to thank him for it.
The banks of this era were built as solidly as prisons, with sturdy stone fortresses and iron bars on the counters and doors. Customers were required to place their weapons on the table upon entering, and guards armed with longswords and crossbows watched over the customers in the bank's hall at all times. Any small movement would set off their sensitive nerves.
The headquarters of Tyrosh Bank was located in a separate three-story building. There was no scent of gold, silver, or copper there, only the faint smell of paper from account books and the black ink used to write on them.
In the top-floor office of the bank, Wright sat in the chair that originally belonged to the general manager, flipping through piles of account books on the massive desk.
Maester Sarella sat next to Wright, assisting him. The young black girl, Missandei, was helping Sarella organize the papers. Missandei was fluent in several languages, but knew nothing about banking affairs and was learning from Sarella. Wright was also teaching her various forms of knowledge, though it hadn't yet become clear what she liked or was skilled at.
Currently, Missandei served as Wright's secretary, noting down temporary tasks when Wright was working. Wright hadn't assigned too many tasks for her, giving her ample time to learn.
The bank employed its own scholars to send messages via ravens. Staff members were placing stacks of account books on the office floor, while Kana Rogare, the general manager, was crouching down, sorting the books into categories.
Under the management of Wright and Kana, Tyrosh Bank's accounts were very well-organized. However, the mess of account books scattered on the floor came from Myr Bank. The governance plan Tyrion had provided to Wright involved controlling several banks in Myr as its first step.
Because the buildings were solid and had underground vaults, Myr's banks had been protected by nobles and merchants during the riots, suffering less damage during the chaos. Not all the nobles and merchants were good people, though; some debtors intentionally burned account books, while others attempted to cause trouble. As a result, the account books in Wright's hands had been ruined by blood, rendering them illegible.
Wright sighed as he glanced at the books, his eyes growing sore from reading for so long. He threw the books aside and rubbed his eyes, then slowly took a sip from his cup of water, watching Kana crouching on the floor. She had been wearing a white dress every time he saw her, and Wright speculated that it might have something to do with her past. When her parents were alive, they owned a small shop. While they weren't wealthy, they lived comfortably. After their death, Kana had experienced a difficult time, working the hardest, dirtiest jobs, and now that she had a better life, she probably never wanted to return to those days. That's why she wore a clean white dress every day.
Wright returned his gaze to the cup, blowing gently at the nonexistent foam on the surface before taking a sip and glancing at the floor again.
People from all over the world came to Tyrosh, and since the weather was hot, thin veils and dresses were the standard attire for the women of both Dorne and Tyrosh. Women who enjoyed swordplay often wore short tunics while moving about the streets. Kana's family had many styles of clothing, but her favorite tight white dress was considered very conservative by Tyroshi standards.
"Do you think it looks good?"
Kana's voice interrupted Wright's thoughts.
"Very nice!"
After finishing the water in his cup, Wright pulled out an account book from the desk and began flipping through it. From behind, Kana, wearing the tight white dress and crouching on the floor, highlighted her best features, which was not ideal for anyone standing behind her.
Kana stood up and sat on a small tea table, rubbing her sore legs. "Wright, I've had a conversation with Nymeria."
"Oh? She didn't mention it to me. What did you two talk about?" Since the vampire incident had begun, everyone had been busy. Both Nymeria and Wright had a mountain of tasks to deal with. Tired, they often ended up sleeping in the study, and Wright hadn't heard Nymeria mention anything about Kana.
"The vampires are showing up in Tyrosh. I don't often visit Eastport, and the only people at my place here are a few maids and hired guards. Unlike other nobles, I don't have the support of a family. The Rogare relatives are good for nothing except asking me for money. I can't rely on them at all. Now, my safety has become a concern."
Kana paused here, looking up at Wright and smiling.
"Go on." Wright knew that this was just the introduction; the real point was yet to come.
"Yesterday, I spoke with Nymeria when we got up. She suggested I sell the small house, and from now on, whenever I come to Tyrosh, I should stay at the castle," said Kana, touching the hickey on her neck, smiling as she awaited what response Wright would have.
Wright smiled and raised his hand in front of him, counting with his fingers. "Let's see... the twins from House Fowler, that's two; Dacey Mormont, one; and if we count Tyene, that's four women currently sleeping by Nymeria's side! Are you planning to be the fifth?"
Sarella, the Maester, and Missandei, the dark-skinned girl, both lowered their heads, pretending to be engrossed in sorting the ledgers, but their ears were clearly tuned in to the conversation.
Kana walked over to Wright's side, took his empty cup, and went to refill it. With her back turned to him, she spoke, "Nymeria isn't like you! She expresses her feelings for those she likes, actively seeks to understand my thoughts, considers my needs, and knows how to take care of people. Being with her makes you feel very secure."
Wright, who had never actively pursued a woman—always being approached—lacked experience in this area. "Nymeria, aside from being my wife, is also the Princess of Dorne. Her title is on the same level as my Warden title. I have no objections to her having her people stay in the castle; after all, I'm not the one paying for your upkeep!"
"Hehehe." Kana chuckled, bending over slightly to cover her mouth, before straightening up and speaking seriously, "So I should tell you that the dressing room next to our bedroom is already filled with the clothes of all of us ladies. Your clothes, Tyene had the servants move to the storage room next to the bedroom."
"You guys are something else! Hahaha!" Wright laughed out loud, both amused and exasperated.
The captain of the personal guard, Balon, knocked on the door. "Lord Wright, the time for the trial has arrived!"
Wright checked the time on his pocket watch before heading toward the office door. "Today's the public trial for the vampire. If you want to see it, you better get ready and head to the South Square."
"What's so interesting about that monster? You've been hacking away at it in the castle for three days! It was about to die, and you saved it only to continue hacking. Just looking at it makes me want to vomit. I'm not going," Kana said. She had arrived in Tyrosh a day later than Wright and had just walked into the castle amidst the uproar, where a large group of people had been venting their anger at the vampire.
"Missandei!"
"Ah! What is it?" The young girl jumped, startled when her name was called.
Wright, who had already made his way to the door, turned and looked at Missandei, noticing how her dark skin and her physique had grown more graceful with time. He said, "Here's a piece of advice for you—if you ever plan on getting married, stay far away from Nymeria! Otherwise, you'll lose interest in men entirely."
After the collective funeral, the two vampires that had been caught had already had their futures arranged by Wright.
The one with only one leg would be kept at the magic school to produce alchemical materials and serve as a subject for teaching and experiments.
The "noble" vampire, whose limbs were intact, would be nailed to a cross. The cross was set up on a temporary wooden platform in the South Square, where it would undergo Wright's public trial. Afterward, it would be paraded through the streets for two days, allowing everyone in Tyrosh and any travelers to witness the monster. It would then be taken to King's Landing, where it would be put on display before Wright personally carried out the execution.
"Our hero of Tyrosh! Ser Dickon Tarly and the Dragon Guards, come up! The members of the city's defense army, come up!"
On the temporary wooden platform, Wright, who had been speaking all afternoon, hurried to find water as the others ascended the platform to receive the cheers of the crowd.
Every war results in death, but as long as victory belongs to your side, those who survive must be celebrated as heroes to boost morale.
The ones who killed the vampires were the Dragon Guards and the mages. The city's defense forces had suffered heavy casualties but had not faltered, their courageous actions worthy of Wright's recognition.
Some of the members of the city defense army had helped evacuate civilians, while others had rushed into burning buildings to rescue people. Twenty of them were knighted.
The twenty Dragon Guards were not formally knighted; they were already knights the moment they became Dragon Guards, as that was their main role. However, to reward them for their contributions in this battle, in addition to their bounties, Wright had pinned a small metallic insignia of open fangs to the chest armor of each warrior. Some had one, some had two, and Dickon Tarly had three, signifying how many vampires they had participated in killing.
"Our Dragon Guards don't know any magic. With silver weapons and some skill, we can defeat vampires. This proves that even ordinary people, after training, can kill vampires!" Dickon Tarly, typically a man of few words, stood on the platform, speaking for an hour with his fellow Dragon Guards.
Standing off to the side, Wright watched with satisfaction as the Dragon Guards, whom he had meticulously selected, not only demonstrated exceptional martial skills but were also quite clever, memorizing the speech he had written for them in just a day. Amid the enthusiastic cheers from the crowd, they even improvised, stretching their half-hour speech to an hour.
They had done a great job! The Dragon Guards were specifically tasked with dealing with undead creatures, and they were also responsible for educating the public about them.
These creatures weren't invincible—silver weapons could kill them. They weren't flawless either. Powerful mages and knights wielding special weapons could also kill them! As long as the right methods were found, dealing with them was no different from hunting wild boars—vampires were no different!
Vampires could not live forever either. Wright himself knew that vampires could indeed live for centuries, but in this world, vampires had appeared only for about a year, and even the vampires themselves could not prove they could live forever. Fast healing wounds? The city's mages could heal wounds with magic, and the alchemists sold healing potions that could quickly heal a wound if one could afford the expensive price.
"Well done! Balon, bring the water!" Wright patted the shoulder of the descending Dickon.
Wright still had to give a summary and perform the judgment, and having been exposed to the sun all afternoon, he simply removed the light jacket he had been wearing, leaving on his blue pants and black form-fitting shirt as he went up to the stage.
"Just like the direwolves and dragons, vampires are magical creatures, and they are not terrifying! However, they are good at hiding, and this time, the attack on Tyrosh was a success on their part! Our mages will surely develop a way to detect vampires in the future!"
"I hope it's soon."
"As long as they can be found, I'll chop off their heads!"
Wright rolled up the sleeves of his black shirt to his elbows. "Although the mages haven't invented this method yet, we have made a significant discovery! After a vampire dies, it turns into a special grayish ash. As we all know, mages don't just practice magic, they also master alchemy, and the recognized inventor of alchemy just happens to sleep next to me every day!"
"Hahaha."
"Good job, Lord Wright!"
Balon Swann, clad in light golden armor, stepped onto the stage holding a white metal basin, which contained the grayish ash of a vampire. He walked to the edge of the square and displayed it for the noblemen and merchants in the front rows to see.
Wright waved for Tyene to come up, but seeing her hesitate, he walked over, took her arm, and supported her waist, half-pushing her up onto the stage.
Tyene, who had never liked public appearances, stood on the stage, staring at the crowd of over ten thousand people. Her face immediately turned red, and she began nervously tapping her toes in her shoes, her hands tightly clenched into fists.
"Just say what I wrote for you yesterday. You can do it, Tyene!" Wright whispered beside her.
Tyene took a deep breath to calm herself and looked at Wright. After he nodded at her, she finally spoke:
"After a vampire dies, it turns into a kind of gray ash that glows with a blue light. After studying it, I found that this ash has miraculous effects on humans. Consuming alchemical potions made from the vampire ash may help with erectile dysfunction, infertility, gout, blood plague, fever diseases, jaundice, and more. As long as we have enough materials for research, in the future, these diseases might no longer threaten humanity!"
"That's so magical?"
"Should we go and catch some vampires?"
After finishing her speech, Tyene lowered her head and, keeping her hands close to her body, ran off the stage with her legs moving, while her upper body remained still.
"With the endorsement of Alchemy Master Tyene, I'm confident that vampire ash can cure various serious illnesses, and even those without illnesses can use it to strengthen the body! Moreover, the Magic School and the Tyrosh Alchemy Workshop have already placed orders for vampire ash, offering an exchange of silver equivalent to the same weight of the ash!"
As Tyene walked off the stage and looked back at Wright, still going on about how wonderful the vampire ash was, she noticed the golden bangs on his forehead becoming more and more crooked.
"How much gray ash can a vampire leave behind? How much would that cost?"
"Not just that. Look at the basin Balon is holding—he says it still has some weight. One vampire should have about ten pounds of ash."
Wright chose silver instead of gold dragons to set the price because he wanted to start circulating silver into the market instead of having it remain hoarded in the nobles' warehouses. Wright would exchange large amounts of gold dragons for silver. And using silver also served to annoy the vampires secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes.
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